Finger-actuated snap open caps for bottles, collapsible tubes and the like

ABSTRACT

A deformable plastic dispensing cap of the snap-on type wherein a retractable dome covers a dispensing cylinder which is in communication with the interior of the container or tube. The upper portion of the dome is provided with partable lips, which expose the cylinder when parted, for dispensing the contents of the container or tube. To retain the dome lips in the retracted position, the interior of the dome is provided with ribs having projections thereon for engaging bosses provided on the outer periphery of the dispensing cylinder. The base portion of the cap which is integrally formed with the dome portion, snaps over the shoulder portion of the container or tube and is rotatable in the shoulder portion groove. The base portion of the cap is provided with finger gripping projections which enable a user of the cap to grip the projections, exert force downwardly thereon parting the dome lips and exposing the dispensing orifice of the cylinder, rotate the cap assembly until the projections in the ribs engage the bosses and release the base portion, causing the projections to snap into position in detents provided in the bosses. The cap assembly will then be retained in the open position until the base portion is again rotated, releasing the rib projections from the cylinder bosses, permitting the dome lips to snap back into their closed position.

United States Patent 11 1 C ocozella [54] FINGER-ACTUATED SNAP OPEN CAPS FOR BOTTLES, COLLAPSIBLE TUBES AND THE LIKE [76] Inventor: Anthony J. Cocozella, 26 Wyman Rd., Braintree, Mass. 02184 [22] Filed: June 2, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 258,980

Primary Examiner-R0bert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky Att0rneyHyman Berman et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A deformable plastic dispensing cap of the snap-on Jan. 15, 197 1 type wherein a retractable dome covers a dispensing cylinder which is in communication with the interior of the container or tube. The upper portion of the dome is provided with partable lips, which expose the cylinder when parted, for dispensing the contents of the container or tube. To retain the dome lips in the retracted position, the interior of the dome is provided with ribs having projections thereon for engaging bosses provided on the outer periphery of the dispensing cylinder. The base portion of the cap which is integrally formed with the dome portion, snaps over the shoulder portion of the container or tube and is rotatable in the shoulder portion groove. The base portion of the cap is provided with finger gripping projections Y which enable a user of the cap to grip the projections,

exert force downwardly thereon parting the dome lips and exposing the dispensing orifice of the cylinder, rotate the cap assembly until the projections in the ribs engage the bosses and release the base portion, causing the projections to snap into position in detents provided in the bosses. The cap assembly will then be retained in the open position until the base portion is again rotated, releasing the 'rib projections from the cylinder bosses, permitting the dome lips to snap back into their closed position.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures l FINGER-ACTUATED SNAP OPEN cAPs ron BOTTLES, COLLAPSIBLE TUBES AND THE LIKE This invention relates to closures for bottles, collapsible tubes and the like containers and is more particularly directed to caps formed of deformable plastic material having spring means embedded therein for selectively dispensing fluid or paste contents of the containers and for sealing the containers.

In general, it has been found that caps provided for closing soft drink bottles and the like or toothpaste tubes, for example, are inconvenient to replace and are easily lost or misplaced. The conventional stoppers which are commercially available for rescaling soft drink bottles or the like, are inconvenient to use in that they must be completely removed from the bottle in order to dispense the contents thereof and may thereafter become lost at the time when resealing is desired to be effected. In the case of tubes such as those containing toothpaste and the like, the caps provided with the containers are easily lost, causing the contents of the tube to dry up with the result that further dispensing of the contents is rendered extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a unitary closure and dispensing means for bottles, collapsible tubes and the like containers which may be affixed to the container until the contents thereof are fully dispensed. v

A further object of the present invention is to provide a closure and dispensing means of the type described 7 which may be selectively opened and closed in a positive fashion to permit the dispensing of the contents of the container to which it is affixed.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a closure and dispensing cap of the type described which is readily manipulatable by finger-gripping portions to effect the opening and closing operations.

Still another object of the pr'esent'invention is to provide a closure and dispensing cap of the type described which is formed of a deformable plastic material for engaging the shoulder portion of a bottle, tube or other like container. v

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a closure and dispensing cap of the type described which is simple and economical to manufacture and has relatively few moving parts.

Briefly, the present invention comprises a dispensing cylinder which is force-fitted into the mouth portion of a bottle, tube or other like container. Disposed on the outer periphery of the dispensing cylinder are bosses having detents therein for engaging projections on the supporting rib structure of a surrounding closure dome. The dome is formed integrally with a' base or skirt portion made of deformable plastic material and having spring means embedded therein. When the base or skirt portion of the cap is compressed by means of fingergripping projections on the exterior thereof, the lips provided in the upper portion of the dome are forced apart around the dispensing orifice at one end of the cylinder and the entire cap assembly may be rotated around the shoulder groove in the container to permit the projections on the ribs of the dome to engage the detents in the bosses. When this occurs, the cap will be retained in its open 'or dispensing position until the user of the container again rotates the cap assembly, freeing the projections from the bosses and permitting the lip members to spring back to their closed position.

' Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention set forth hereinbelow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the closure and dispensing cap of the present invention affixed to a collapsible tube or bottle having a shoulder and groove for receiving the cap assembly;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 22 in FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 in FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view, partially broken away, similar to the view in FIG. 2 and enlarged to show certain details of the cap construction; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section, similar to that in FIG. 2, but with the cap assembly in the open or dispensing position.

Referring now to the figures of drawing, it can be seen that the closure and dispensing cap assembly of the present invention is adapted for use with a collapsible tube, bottle or like container 10, and is engaged with the shoulder portion groove 12 of shoulder portion 11 of such container. When it is desired to use the closure and dispensing cap assembly of the present invention with containers which are not provided with integrally formed groove 12, a snap-on washer may be fitted to the container to provide such a groove, in the manner similar tothat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,850 to Esposito, issued Oct. 15, I968.

The two principal. structural components of the closure and dispensing cap of the present invention are dome member 13, whichis integrally formed with base or skirt member 23, and dispensing cylinder 19, which is force-fitted into the open mouth portion of the container 10. These structural elements of the cap may be molded as an integral unit formed of a suitable elastomeric material such as rubber, polyolefins, polyvinyls, polyurethanes, ethylvinylacetate and the like.

Dome portion 13, which serves to seal the dispensing orifice 21 of dispensing cylinder 19, is formed with intersecting lips 14, which may be parted to expose dispensing orifice 21, as shown in FIG. 5, and as will be more fully explained below. Disposed on the interior of dome portion 13 and extending radially inwardly thereof are structurally supporting ribs 15 having projections 16 for seating in cooperating bosses l7 disposed on the outer periphery of dispensing cylinder 19. Embedded in ribs 15 are springs 22, which serve to normally urge lips 14 to the closed or sealing position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. Serving a similar function are embedded steel spring wires 24, shown in dotted line in FIG. 1, which extend radially outwardly and downwardly from the apex of the dome member 13 to the beginning of the base portion 23 of the cap assembly.

Base portion 23 of the cap assembly is provided with finger-gripping projections 18 "extending circumferentially around its upper surface and with inwardly extending flange 26 for engaging groove 12 and container 10. Embedded in base portion 23 are spring steel wires 25 which are equally circumferentially spaced. These springs 25 serve essentially the same function as spring members 22 and 24, previously described, in normally urging lips 14 into their closed position.

The operation of the closure and dispensing cap of the present invention will now be described. The conventional cap for container 10 is discarded and dispensing cylinder 19 is force-fitted into the open mouth portion of the container. Dome and base assembly is then placed over cylinder 19 with flange 26 in engagement with groove 12. In this initial closed position of the cap assembly, as shown in FIG. 2, projections 16 on ribs 15 are above bosses l7 and out of engagement therewith. Springs 22 and 25 are fully extended, urging lips 14 together. Now, when it is desired to dispense the contents of container 10, finger-gripping projections 18 on base portion 23 are grasped and a downward twisting pressure is exerted so as to rotate the cap assembly in groove 12 about cylinder 19 in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 3 until prjections 16 engage bosses 17. Finger-gripping portions 18 are then released and projections 16 allow to seat in detents 20 provided in bosses 17. The cap assembly will then remain in this open or dispensing position, as shown in FIG. 5, until the desired quantity of the contents of container 10 is dispensed,'at which time, the above-described process is repeated in reverse, with springs 22, 24 and 25 urging lips 14 back into their closed position and sealing the interior of container 10.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been described, it should be realized that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and itis, therefore, intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. A closure and dispensing cap for a container comprising:

a. dispensing cylinder having a dispensing orifice in communication with the mouth of said container;

b. closure means comprising an upper domed portion for normally sealing said orifice and a compressible base portion rotatably engaging said container, said domed portion having partable lips which are normally closed;

0. a plurality of radially inwardly extending ribs having projections therein disposed on the interior of said domed portion, said ribs. having springs embedded therein for normally urging said lips to the closed position; and

d. detent means disposed on the exterior of said dispensing cylinder for engaging said projections when said base portion is compressed, said closure means is rotated and said base'portion released, so as to lock said partable lips in the open position.

2. The closure and dispensing cap set forth in claim 1 further comprising spring means embedded in said base portion for normally maintaining said base portion in the uncompressed state and for providing positive engagement between said rib projections and said detent means.

3. The closure and dispensing cap set forth in claim 2 further comprising spring meass embedded in said domed portion for normally urging said lips to a closed position.

4. The closure and dispensing cap set forth in claim 3 wherein said closure means and said dispensing cylinder are each integrally formed of a single piece of molded plastic. 

1. A closure and dispensing cap for a container comprising: a. dispensing cylinder having a dispensing orifice in communication with the mouth of said container; b. closure means comprising an upper domed portion for normally sealing said orifice and a compressible base portion rotatably engaging said container, said domed portion having partable lips which are normally closed; c. a plurality of radially inwardly extending ribs having projections therein disposed on the interior of said domed portion, said ribs having springs embedded therein for normally urging said lips to the closed position; and d. detent means disposed on the exterior of said dispensing cylinder for engaging said projections when said base portion is compressed, said closure means is rotated and said base portion released, so as to lock said partable lips in the open position.
 2. The closure and dispensing cap set forth in claim 1 further comprising spring means embedded in said base portion for normally maintaining said base portion in the uncompressed state and for providing positive engagement between said rib projections and said detent means.
 3. The closure and dispensing cap set forth in claim 2 further comprising spring means embedded in said domed portion for normally urging said lips to a closed position.
 4. The closure and dispensing cap set forth in claim 3 wherein said closure means and said dispensing cylinder are each integrally formed of a single piece of molded plastic. 